


T(Hat) Reveal

by SilverNight104



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gift, ML Secret Santa, MLB, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 04:16:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13023051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverNight104/pseuds/SilverNight104
Summary: Set during the Christmas Special, where Marinette recognizes her ha(t)ndiwork at the end. Reveal fic.





	T(Hat) Reveal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sebayard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebayard/gifts).



> First time participating for MLSS2017, hope I did this right! This is a present for my giftee, sebayard!

Darkness greeted Marinette when she finally, finally made her way home after a long day. Akumas on Christmas were new; she had expected a more understanding attitude from the Parisian citizens but she supposed there was nothing much she could really do, other than defeat the Akumas. If only Hawkmoth would let up on holidays…

Climbing up the staircase, she pushed open the trapdoor, opening her purse so Tikki could come out and eat from the tin of cookies she had taken to keeping in her room.

”I’m exhausted Tikki, what a Christmas Eve!”

The kwami giggled. “All part of the job Marinette!”

The girl groaned before dropping onto her chaise, eyes fixed on the kwami. “Do you think Adrien has gotten my present yet?”

“I’m sure it has been delivered, Marinette! Maybe they were holding off so he could open up all of his presents all at once?”

Suddenly Marinette sat up, frowning. “I just remembered, Tikki. He already opened it; he thanked me earlier during the party. Why wasn’t he wearing it? It’s the only time of year he could appropriately wear it.”

Frustrated, the black-haired girl wracked her brain for answers, possible scenarios that didn’t involve Adrien throwing away her hat because it was ugly or he didn’t like it or he didn’t like her- wait. She had seen that hat before. Wasn’t that Santa wearing it- oh. So Adrien had given the hat away. He didn’t like her after all.

“Marinette?” Tikki floated closer out of concern.

The girl stifled a sob. “Why couldn’t he just tell me he didn’t like it Tikki? Why did he have to go behind my back?”

“What?”

“He gave the hat to the Santa Claus, the one who was akumatised. Why didn’t he just tell me instead of thanking me and telling me he loved it?”

“Maybe the Santa had an identical hat?”

Marinette grasped at the sensible suggestion the kwami offered. Of course, it wasn’t like the snowflake pattern was unique. It was Christmas and hats had plenty of patterns beside the plain red most hats sported.

Still, she was bothered by the thought. It was odd that the Santa who had dropped Adrien off at the mansion had an identical hat when Adrien’s was nowhere to be seen.

Then the sounds of an explosion reached her ears and she switched on her phone to see a dark purple butterfly adorning the screen next to a location: Notre Dame.

Another Akuma on Christmas. Hawkmoth really didn’t take holidays off.

“Tikki, spots on!”

—

Admittedly Adrien really had thought his decision was for the best; giving the Santa a hat to cheer him up and replace his old one. Just why was he having second thoughts about it though?

Then he heard the explosions from far beyond the mansion, around the Notre Dame if he had to guess accurately. “Plagg, claws out!”

“Not again-“

Adrien ignored the kwami as the transformation washed over him in a wave of energy. The moment the light died down, he moved, leaping out of the window and extending the pole to catch his descent. He searched the area for a minute, before running out to the Notre Dame.

—- 

“Miraculous ladybug!” Ladybug cried, the magic swirling around her as it repaired the rubble left behind the Grinch-themed Akuma victim.

She heaved in relief; two victims was enough for one day. At this rate she wouldn’t be able to get up in time for Christmas tomorrow.

She offered her fist to her partner. “Pound it!”

He tapped his to hers, smiling. “Another good job, milady.”

Then a thought zapped her: the Christmas gift for Chat Noir! The one she had prepared after they agreed on the gift exchange: no potentially identity-compromising gifts, and nothing too flamboyant or expensive.

“Wait!” she called as the boy turned to leave. “Can you meet me later near the Eiffel Tower for the gift exchange?”

Chat Noir had no hesitation as he nodded, before his ring beeped and he waved. “See you later, milady!”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Immediately she tossed her yoyo, allowing it to hook itself around a railing before swinging off towards her home.

—

Grabbing the present wrapped in green paper, Marinette patiently waited for Tikki to scarf down her cookies. Then her eyes met the wall and she stifled herself as she realized the wall was still plastered with the pictures of her crush.

“Are you still thinking about the hat, Marinette?”

The girl silently nodded, shifting her gaze to the window and the skyline of Paris instead.

“I’m sure there’s nothing in it, Marinette. I’m sure he loved your gift.”

“But how can I be sure?”

“You did see how happy he was about that scarf.”

“From his father.”

“He loved your lucky charm bracelet too, Marinette!”

The kwami flew up from the stack of biscuits to pat Marinette’s cheek. “I’m sure he loved it,” she stated firmly, before swerving back down to the plate.

Marinette nodded, slowly, as if reassuring herself. “I’m sure he loved it.”

Tikki swallowed her last cookie, smiling. Marinette was definitely learning.

“I’m ready, Marinette!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

—-

Chat Noir waited patiently on a lower beam of the Eiffel Tower, happily noting it was a calm night. Inwardly, he wondered whether his gift was appropriate. She never had shown much of a liking for his puns, maybe he really should have taken that account and gotten her something more appropriate, but then what if he had gotten her that necklace he had been contemplating? That would be far too expensive and she might have rejected it out of consideration of how expensive it was.

But was this present really appropriate? He was just about to get up and decide to go make her something himself, identity be damned, when he heard the zip of her yoyo and knew it was too late to retract his decision.

“My lady! Merry Christmas!”

She smiled, accepting his red-wrapped box, tucking it under her arm as she offered him a green-wrapped parcel, soft and warm to the touch. “Merry Christmas, Chat.”

He looked at the gift in consideration. It would have to be some sort of fabric, maybe she got him a t-shirt like the one printed with a cat’s paw he had been contemplating? Or maybe she got him a jacket, like the red and black-spotted bomber jacket he had seen in a clothing store when he had gone shopping?

His tail twitched, and his lady laughed. “Curiosity killed the cat, Chat.”

Never missing a beat, he retorted: “But satisfaction brought it back.”

He paused to consider how she was sitting, box in her lap as she stared out at the city lights. He sat down next to her, wondering why she was so quiet.

“Is something wrong, my lady?”

She jerked as if burnt. “No! Nothing’s wrong.”

He was about to ask another question, knowing with that response something was wrong when she gestured to his gift. “We should open these. Do you want to go first?”

He shook his head. “Ladies first.”

“Such a charmer,” she teased. “No puns?”

“My lady! How could you think so lowly of your brave knight!”

She raised a brow. “So at the same time then?”

She seemed to be responding to his flirtations well. “Who am I to argue with such a beautiful girl?”

She quirked a smile, before they both turned to their gifts. “One, two, three!”

She was careful with the wrapping paper, he noticed, carefully removing the bow and wrapping the ribbon around her wrist before she teased the paper open, trying not to rip the wrapping paper.

He was also careful, trying to preserve the soft green paper, slitting the tape that held it closed with his sharp claws.

She was struggling to pry away the tape attaching the box to the paper, so he offered a finger to her with a wink. “A claw-ser at your service, my lady!”

She shook her head wryly, before holding up the troublesome piece of tape for him to slit. He did so, before the box fell into her lap and she looked at it, bemused, before lifting the flaps to behold the gift inside.

Chat fidgeted nervously. She hadn’t said anything yet, and her expression betrayed nothing of her emotions inside. Did she like it? Damn it, he should have gone with the jacket!

“Chat,” Ladybug breathed, lifting out the small stuffed kitty plush, very much like Plagg only without the snark, need for Camembert or magical powers that transformed him.

“It’s my kwami! Or, well, modeled after him.” Oh how Plagg had laughed and cackled over him for days before he had bribed him with a slice of cheese to keep his mouth shut.

“It’s a normal cat plush, but I’ve added the antennae and longer tail that Plagg has. The sewing isn’t exactly invisible since I couldn’t find an exact match and I only had so much to go on-“

“-Chat. It’s beautiful. It’s the perfect gift.” To his surprise, Ladybug scooted over and hugged him. “Thank you.”

His grin spread cheek to cheek in triumph. His lady liked it! Then he remembered her gift, and made quick work of the rest of the paper. Inside was a knitted hat, with little slits for his cat ears to pass through.

He put it on quickly, marveling at how warm and cozy it felt against his hair. “My lady, this is amazing!”

Instantly he gave her a crushing hug, so warmed at the thought of a gift from one of his first real friends; Marinette, Nino, Alya and Chloe notwithstanding. This was one of the friends who loved his actual self.

She smiled, resting her head against his. “Merry Christmas, Chat.”

“Merry Christmas, my lady.”

It was late, the time on his baton showing it was eleven at night, and he would be missed very soon. “Sadly, I’ll have to take my leave and run like a cat, my lady!”

“Don’t you mean like a cheetah, Chat?”

He swept his hat off his head, indicating his ears. “Au contraire, I am but a lower member of the felines.”

In the flamboyant action, a card came loose, and Chat snagged it quickly, before it fell any lower than their current beam. “Merry Christmas, Adri.”

 _‘Oh no.’_ Ladybug’s blood ran cold. She had given him the wrong card. After making the mistake of writing Adrien’s name, she had procured a new card and written the correct greeting, but she must have mixed the two up. ‘Could this day get any worse?’

“This looks a lot like the hat Marinette gave me,” The boy mused under his breath, but her sharp hearing afforded by her kwami allowed her to hear his words.

“Adrien?”

Chat Noir looked up alarmed. “Who?”

 _‘No way.’_

It was too late to deny the truth; only Adrien had received a hat as a Christmas gift from her.

“It’s you, isn’t it? Blonde hair, green eyes, absurd love for puns…” She felt remarkably calm. She could deal with this. It wasn’t like her crush was the same guy who constantly flirted with her.

He didn’t see much of a way out of this. “Yeah, it’s me. I’d de-transform but I wouldn’t be able to get off the tower.”

He didn’t expect her to laugh out loud the next minute. “Of course! The guy I’m crushing on is the one who has always been flirting with me.”

He paused. It couldn’t have been. “Marinette?”

She spluttered. “Wha-no, I’m not Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I’m Ladybug!”

He shook his head, seeing familiarity in her sometimes clumsy mannerisms, kindness, looks and clear skill in designing, as he looked at the hat still gripped in his hand. He was well aware of her crush – thank you manga for that education – but didn’t want to get her hopes up in the case that his father didn’t approve and restricted him from school.

“I am glad it’s you.” He said sincerely. “If I had to pick anyone else, it wouldn’t really be anyone but you.”

And who could it have been? Alya, the reporter on all things Miraculous? Nino, the spaz who had a kind heart but really wasn’t the type yet? Chloe, the one who caused at least half the Akumas in Paris? No, Marinette - the kind hearted, intelligent, daring class rep - was really the one he would have picked as his partner.

“You know,” The superheroine began casually. “I was going to ask you about the hat, but it’s pretty clear that you gave it to the Santa, and it’s… actually alright. I can see that kindness now, the Chat Noir kindness where you make sure the victims are alright. Besides,” She said with a teasing look on her face. “You’ve got a new hat now.”

“Not freaking out?”

“Not yet. I’ll probably do it at home and need Tikki to calm me down.”

“So… superhero secret dating so we can freak out Alya and Nino, keep my father from knowing and for the fun of it?”

She laughed gaily. “Why ever not?”


End file.
